Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River hosts a raft of canoes and kayaks on weekend afternoons. Shoppers flock to The Strip in Pittsburgh for artisanal food. In Detroit, colourful art installations are helping restore decades of urban decay.

The words Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh may conjure up images of derelict factories, burning rivers and shuttered steel mills, rather than vacation bliss. But those three cities, formerly key notches in America’s Rust Belt, have come a long way back from industrial oblivion.

Their factories are now a haven for artists and designers, or hosts for living history tours. Their rivers, one of which caught on fire in 1969 (the Cuyahoga), have been cleaned up. All three are home to several worthwhile attractions — if you know where to look.

PITTSBURGH

Although best known for its blast furnaces, this three-river city has welcomed a new high-tech boom and a flood of tourists, who have come to see the steel town in a whole new light.

The Andy Warhol: Although he’s usually remembered as a long-standing member of New York’s glitterati, America’s most famous pop artist was a Pittsburgh boy, born and raised. This remarkable museum displays his most famous stuff (including creepy silk screens of Chairman Mao and outsized, blazingly red Campbell’s soup cans) alongside his lesser-known work in television, movies and magazines. warhol.org

The Strip: Wedged on a tight strip of land between the steep slopes of Mount Washington and the Monongahela River, this neighbourhood that once hosted gritty warehouses is now home to artisan food shops selling everything from handmade candy and chocolates to freshly roasted coffee and designer biscotti. neighborsinthestrip.com

The area attracts a sizable weekend brunch crowd, although the original outlet of Primanti’s, a blue-collar favourite, still offers its full-meal-on-a-bun sandwiches — the most popular selection, the “Pitts Burger Cheese Steak,” piles a single bun with an all-beef patty, a full order of greasy hand-cut French fries, a side of creamy coleslaw, tomato and onion. primantibros.com

Rivers of Steel (Carrie Furnace): Built way back in 1906, this blast furnace pumped out more than 1,000 tons of molten iron every day until US Steel shut it and its sister plants down in the early 1980s, leaving more than 40,000 people jobless. Now a ruin, the furnace has become a living history museum, with former employees telling their stories of day-to-day life here as they take visitors around the hulking facility. riversofsteel.com

DETROIT

Although the Motor City still has its fair share of problems, it has undergone an impressive — and very recent — renaissance. Characters, artists and tourists are all welcome here.

The Henry Ford: Its self-proclaimed significance as “America’s Greatest History Attraction” is only a slight exaggeration. Here, you will find the chair in which Abraham Lincoln sat on the night of his assassination, the actual bus that Rosa Parks famously refused to move to the back of, and many other artifacts and curiosities. An impressive collection of autos includes several presidential limousines (including the Cadillac that carried John F. Kennedy on that fateful day in Dallas). thehenryford.org

The Heidelberg Project: Taking up an entire city block in a rough downtown neighbourhood, this outdoor art installation mixes the whimsical with the just plain weird. A lawnmower perches atop a mountain of shoes; a beached boat is heaped high with oversized stuffed toys; an entire two-storey house has been painted with bright multi-colour polka dots.

It’s all the brainchild of Tyree Guyton, who fought city hall (and won) to keep his sprawling project alive. Guyton is now celebrated internationally for his work with found objects, and you can come to Heidelberg, view his work and chat with the earnest local volunteers who help interpret — all free of charge. heidelberg.org

Russell Industrial Center: With 1 million square feet of space, this former auto parts factory now provides studio space for dozens of Detroit artists, from glassblowers and photographers to bona fide painters and even a silk-screen artist who has created album covers and concert posters for everyone from Patti Smith to Alice Cooper and Kid Rock. Call ahead and make an appointment to tour the showrooms, or visit on the weekend, when the complex hosts a public flea market. ricdetroit.org

CLEVELAND

With a flourishing theatre scene, beautifully restored Art Deco buildings and a burgeoning farm-to-table culinary movement, it’s hard to believe that this town ever served as a punch line.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: The city’s most iconic attraction takes visitors from the roots of rock and roll to today’s most popular acts, mixing together well-made films, audio clips, videos of live performances and dozens of display cases to tell the story. Displays include a wide array of fascinating items, from a big black Lincoln Continental with an interior customized by Elvis Presley, to a Nudie Suit worn by Hank Williams and the acoustic guitar played at the Montreal “bed-in” when John and Yoko recorded Give Peace a Chance. rockhall.com

Terminal City Building: This Art Deco tower, built in 1926, just re-opened its observation deck to the public last year. Black and white photos hanging around the space show the city as it was in bygone days, while large windows let in the sunlight and provide sweeping views. You can see 360 degrees and as far as 50 kilometres away, out over the industrial flats, downtown and Lake Erie.

West Side Market and Ohio City: With 30,000 square feet of space housing more than 100 small vendors, this 102-year-old Cleveland institution has long been a favourite destination for those seeking fresh fruit, vegetables and meats. The market boasts more than a dozen bakeries, twice as many butchers, and colourful, seasonal produce everywhere you turn — some of the more motivated sellers even call out their daily deals to customers.

Some of the ingredients from this grand covered market are grown on a nearby urban farm — one of the largest in the United States — and are used in the bistros and microbreweries of the surrounding neighbourhood, Ohio City, a revitalized area that has gone from blight to boom in just the past five years. westsidemarket.org, ohiocity.org

Cleveland Metroparks: Cleveland has become one of America’s greenest cities, thanks in large part to its very proactive parks department. One highlight here is a recently finished linear park that follows an old Erie and Ohio Canal towpath and embraces the city’s industrial past, featuring old pipelines and active train trestles as well as historical plaques and interpretive displays in the midst of the green space.

Tim Johnson is a freelance writer.

JUST THE FACTS

DETROIT

SLEEPING Marriott at the Renaissance Center: Located inside one of Detroit’s most iconic buildings, the Marriott is within walking distance of all of downtown’s attractions and the world headquarters of General Motors. Double rooms from $179/night. Marriott.com

DINING Pegasus Taverna: A highlight of the revitalized city, Greektown in downtown Detroit is a bustling spot, and Pegasus provides excellent Greek food to the masses who descend on this neighbourhood every weekend. Dinner entrees from $15. 558 Monroe St. 313-964-6800. pegasustavernas.com. Los Galanes: The best of the bunch among Detroit’s surprisingly vibrant Mexican culinary scene. Cheap, delicious burritos, enchiladas and quesadillas, served up on a great patio with views of the rest of Mexican Town. Dinner entrees from $8. 362 Bagley St. 313-554-4444. losgalanesdetroit.com.

SLEEPING Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade: Under the glass dome of Cleveland’s historic Arcade — an indoor shopping complex built in 1890 — this hotel maintains much of the building’s historic charm alongside modern comforts and conveniences. Double rooms from $145/night. Hyatt.com

DINING The Greenhouse Tavern: Hearty farm-to-table fare and local brews in a restored building on downtown’s East 4th, a narrow, pedestrianized brick street that pulsates with nightlife and foot traffic. Dinner entrees from $24. 2038 East 4th St., 216-443-0511. thegreenhousetavern.com. Cowell and Hubbard: The fifth restaurant opened by native Clevelander Zack Bruell, C&H serves contemporary Parisian cuisine in a circa-1920 former jewelry store. Dinner entrees from $19. 1305 Euclid Ave. 216-479-0555. cowellandhubbard.com

SLEEPING Fairmont Pittsburgh: A LEED certified gold building, this sleek steel-and-glass luxury hotel uses more than 75 per cent natural light, which streams through its floor-to-ceiling windows, and locally sourced materials (some of which are recycled) to furnish rooms. Double rooms from $319/night. Fairmont.com

DINING Primanti Brothers: Long a favourite of steelworkers for their extremely portable, whole-meal-on-a-bun sandwiches, they’ll let you in without a lunchbox these days. Sandwiches start at $5.49. 46 18th St. 412-263-2142. primantibros.com. Spoon: Located in the city’s trendy east end, Spoon serves up local ingredients and fresh takes on American classics. Dinner entrees from $19. 134 South Highland Ave. 412-362-6001. spoonpgh.com

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